1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to games and in particular to board games having fast moving playing pieces.
2. Prior Art
Board or table games with fast moving playing pieces, such as table hockey, have been popular for many years. These games generally require the two players to strike a flat disc or puck, using striking pieces, across a smooth playing surface. Each player aims to propel the puck into the opponent's goal and to prevent the puck from entering his/her own goal. Ideally, the puck should move at a high velocity after being struck so as to challenge the opposing players' dexterity and reflexes as they try to strike or intercept the puck. In addition, the entire game apparatus should be simple and economical.
Many board or table games incorporating moving discs have been designed in the past. U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,918 to Trachtman (1975) shows a table hockey game with multiple pucks. The pucks make full contact with the table, creating high frictional drag. Therefore, the pucks slow down substantially as they travel across the playing surface.
Some games have been designed to maintain high puck speed by reducing or eliminating friction between the puck and the board or table. U.S. Pat. Nos. 483,895 to Buckley (1892), 2,159,966 to Dunham (1939), and 4,000,900 to Lehman (1977) show games with playing pieces which have concave lower surfaces intended for minimizing sliding friction, and thus minimizing deceleration. In actuality, the weight of the pucks is simply redistributed on a far smaller area. Therefore total friction remains the same, so that deceleration is not minimized. U.S. Pat. No. 4,283,054 to Patella et al. (1981) shows playing pieces with multiple concavities on the lower surface, and a central point which raises the lower surface of the playing piece slightly off the playing surface. In actual play, the playing piece does achieve some degree of friction reduction. However, sufficient friction still remains to cause significant deceleration.
The only table game with a puck which moves without friction with the playing surface is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,325 to Crossman et al. (1973). Air is forced by motorized means through hundreds of tiny holes on the playing surface to lift the playing piece completely off the surface. Thus the playing piece, after being struck by a player, does not decelerate appreciably as it travels across the table. Although effective, this system is large and expensive, since a pump blower and complex tubing and holes are required to force air through the holes.
Aside from table or board games, fast moving discs were also designed for use on other surfaces. U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,954 to Panse (1984) shows an aquatic surface skimmer incorporating a lower surface with an inverted, frusto-conical shape to allow the projectile to skim smoothly across the surface of a body of water. Because the large skimmer, which weights 62 to 168 grams, relies on hydrodynamic lift, it must remain in contact with the water during its travel. It is not capable of floating on a cushion of air without touching the water.
In conclusion, previous designs of games with fast moving discs either cannot eliminate disc/playing surface friction, or can only do so at high cost.